


Game Over

by Cats_Dont_Float



Category: Homestuck
Genre: (only slight mention of vomit but just in case), Earth C (Homestuck), Exhaustion, F/F, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Sburb (Homestuck), Post-Sburb/Sgrub, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21756424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cats_Dont_Float/pseuds/Cats_Dont_Float
Summary: Dave Strider steps through the final gate. The game’s finally over, they’re free from it’s clutches, and he’s ready to spend the rest of his life with his friends and the boy he loves. Then he gets spat out on the other side and finds himself all alone.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam
Comments: 6
Kudos: 79





	Game Over

There’s a bright white flash as they step through the gate, and then Dave feels like he’s falling down, down, down, down...

He hits the floor at speed.

 _‘Well shit, that hurt,’_ is the only thought he has before he blacks out.

Eventually (he has no idea how long he’s been passed out for) Dave slowly comes back to consciousness, and sits up slowly. A throbbing pain in his head makes him sway, and he clutches at his temples for a few seconds before he manages to fight through the worst of the pain and get himself up to his feet. There’s an uncomfortable feeling to his face, and he rubs at his nose with the back of his hand, and watches as something dark brown and dried-up transfers onto his hands. Yeah, that’s definitely blood.

With a wince, he looks around. Oh, shit.

He’s stood in what appears to be just a massive, open field, with nothing but grass and unnaturally bright blue sky stretching out in all directions. He stares out at the wide expanse of open land, and sees no one else in sight. His first thought is just to message someone, but then his hand goes to his pocket and he realises, oh yeah, no phone. He looks around again, trying to figure out how he’s even supposed to start looking for anyone else. He’s all alone. Again.

With a choked sob, he falls back to the ground, landing heavily on his knees, and tears his shades from his face to rub at his eyes roughly. His eyes sting in the bright sun, but he doesn’t care, and lets the shades sit abandoned in the grass for the time being.

 _‘Why?’_ He thinks, _‘Why is this still happening? We won. We’re supposed to be okay now. We won.’_

He rubs at his face again to try and get rid of the last of the dried blood on his skin, and looks upwards, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun. The others have to be around here somewhere, they must be. But where? And how is he even supposed to begin trying to find them?

Eventually, though, he realises he can’t just sit there forever, that he’s got to at least try and find someone. So he gets up, puts his shades back on, feeling a little more grounded with them pressing familiarly into his nose, and starts to walk off in a random direction. He knows there’s a chance he’s walking further from any chance of finding anyone, but he can only try. There’s a tree in the distance, tall and crooked and old-looking, and he walks towards it. Then, when he reaches the tree, he chooses another one in the distance, and makes his way towards that one.

He walks like this for hours, until he’s passed hundreds of trees and bushes and weird rock formations, and still there’s no sign of anyone. Occasionally, he stops to scream out his friend’s name with a voice that’s steadily getting more hoarse, usually calling for Karkat, because that’s the one person he can’t shake from his mind. God, he hopes Karkat’s okay.

At some point the sun starts to set, and he’s thankful for the final relief from the unbearable heat that’s been constant since he arrived in this place. His godtier pyjamas are soaked through with sweat at this point, and once the sun’s slipped far enough downwards towards the horizon that he’s no longer in danger of sunburn, he strips of his cape and shirt, tying them both around his waist before he continues onwards. The cool night air against his skin is just a touch too cold, but it’s nicer than the burning heat from earlier, and he appreciates the feeling.

An hour later it’s getting too dark. Too dark to see. Definitely too dark to keep on walking. So, when he finds himself near one of those weird formations of rocks, he drops down to the floor and settles himself in the shelter of a rocky overhanging. He’s starving hungry and exhausted, and though those things won’t kill a god like him, it’s still uncomfortable, and he finds himself tossing and turning for hours underneath the thin cover of his capre before he finally falls into a fitful sleep. An exhausted tear runs down his face as sleep finally pulls him under, and he whispers out a tired wish that someone will find him, that he won’t have to spend the rest of eternity alone in this field.

Morning comes both too quickly and far too slowly, and with nothing to do but walk he finds himself moving onwards again. After a few hours, the rocks and trees are all looking the same as each other. For all he knows, he could just be walking in circles. With nothing to distract him but his own thoughts, he spirals into memories of Karkat, Rose, John, Jade, Terezi, Kanaya. At this point, he even misses the crazy murder clown. He holds onto the memory of Karkat’s voice, scratchy and alien and just a notch too loud, and the way Karkat’s face flushes that candy-red colour he’s so ashamed of when Dave flirts with him. The thought makes him laugh sadly to himself, and it soon become hysterical, delirious laughter that fills up the silent field and his mostly empty head. He’s soon crying as well as laughing, tears cutting paths down his face that’s sticky with sweat, and he stumbles over his own feet several times as he staggers onwards. And he just continues to walk until night falls again. THen the sun rises, and sets, and rises. Eventually, he’s so drained of energy he forgets how many days he’s been walking for.

Eventually, one day when he’s starting to give up, he trips on the root of tree,stumbles,and falls backwards onto the ground. The world rotates around him, and he’s staring up at the bright, endless sky. He lays there for a long time, his limbs aching, his stomach growling and his throat itching with thirst. Each breath hurts, each step feels like it should be his last. He’s ready to give up and spend the rest of his life under this tree. He draws in a deep, shaky breath as a slight cold wind touches his skin and cools it for a second.

Wait. Hold that thought.

Wind.

John.

_John!_

The thought’s barely flickered through his delirious mind before he’s sitting up far too fast. His vision swims but he tries to get up, tries to force himself to look around. A speck of dark blue against the brighter blue backdrop that is the sky catches his eye, and he stumbles a few steps forwards in an attempt to reach it. His legs give out under him before he can manage to get there, and he falls forwards, hitting the floor face first. There are still tears running down his face and his hands ball into frustrated fists as he tries to get up. Then a familiar voice finally reaches his ears.

“Dave!”

He manages to sit up just in time to watch a familiar boy land in front of him.

“John!” He sobs deliriously, reaching outwards. His friend crouches in front of him, reaching out to put both hands on his shoulders and steady him.

“Oh, thank god,” John sighs, “I’ve been looking for you for ages. The gate sort of spat us all out with too much force and scattered us all over. Everyone’s trying to meet up in the same place now, but no one had seen you anywhere. Why didn’t you message?”

“Lost my phone,” Dave says tiredly. He reaches up a shaking hand to attempt to rub away his tears, and John takes hold of his hand and pulls it away, before pulling the sleeve of his blue pajamas down over his hand and using it to wipe Dave’s face gently.

“Rose, Roxy and Kanaya aren’t too far away,” John says, “I’ll get you back to them. We’re planning on meeting the others tomorrow.”

“O-okay,” Dave mutters, grabbing onto John’s hand that’s near his face and holding onto it tightly, trying to convince himself that this is real and he isn’t just hallucinating. “Wait,” he mumbles, “K-Karkat? W-where i-”

“He’s with Terezi and Jade, and maybe Dirk and Jake are with them by now,” John says, “He’s safe. He’s okay.”

Dave lets out a shaky sigh of relief. “Oh, okay,” he sighs, “Good.”

“Yeah,” John agrees, “Now, come on, let’s get you back. We can talk about everything else once you’ve had some food and water.”

John starts helping him to his feet, and as Dave sways unsteadily he has to admit that, yeah, food and water sound good right now, and maybe a long sleep too.

“Can you fly?” John’s asking, though Dave’s barely paying attention. He makes an attempt at flight and almost falls to the floor again, so John quickly throws an arm around him to hold him upright. “Okay, I can probably hold your weight,” he says, and then Dave’s being held onto as John flies upwards. He looks down at the field below, and holds back a wave of nausea as everything rushes by below him. John’s flight’s always been faster than his due to his windy powers, though, and soon they’re swooping down over a tiny makeshift camp in the shelter of a few dead-looking trees.

When they touch the ground, Dave tumbles out of John’s arms and onto the floor, landing in an undignified heap that he’d be embarrassed of if he currently had the emotional capacity to be embarrassed.

“Hey!” John shouts loudly, “Can I get some help? I’ve got Dave!”

There’s the sound of some general noise from people that Dave can’t see from his position, and then three sets of feet are running his way. He vaguely recognises the bottom of Rose’s orange dress.

“Oh my - is he okay?” Rose gasps, dropping to her knees beside Dave and pulling her ecto-brother towards her as best as she can.

“He’s okay,” John says, “Just tired, and very hungry.”

“Hey Davey,” Roxy cooes quietly, “We’ve got you now, you’re gonna be okay.”

Kanaya uses her rainbow-drinker strength to gather Dave up into her arms, easily balancing is weight, and bears him towards the camp, followed worriedly by the other three. He aguely registers the feeling of being laid down on the grass under the shade of some sort of material that’s been strung up in the branches above him, and rolls over to press his face into the cool grass.

“John, go rest,” Rose says firmly, “You’ve been out searching for Dave for hours.”

“Yeah, okay,” John sighs, looking down at his friend, “Just, uh, be careful, okay? He was real emotional when I found him.”

Rose looks up at John and nods with a strained, tired smile. “Thanks, John. Get yourself some rest, I’ll let you know when he’s doing better.” John nods gratefully and then backs away into the shelter of some sort of makeshift tent, pulling a flap that serves as a door shut behind him.

Kanaya and Roxy set about gathering a bottle of water and a few snacks, bringing them to Dave’s side just as Rose attempts to help him sit up. He sways a little, head lolling from side to side, but manages to take the water from Kanaya and gulps down half of it before Rose takes it back from him firmly.

“Sip it,” she says, “You’ll make yourself sick.”

He nods, but even so he continues to drink desperately, and then moves onwards to the food he’s been given, wincing at the way it makes his stomach scream with pain. Sure enough, a few moments later he’s heaving onto the grass, Rose crouched behind him and rubbing his back gently. He takes the water again, this time listening to Rose and sipping at it, and manages to keep down the next few bites of food that he forces himself to eat. Then he collapses backwards onto the grass with a sigh.

“Kanaya, dear,” Rose says quietly, “Could you please get me some of those spare clothes we alchemised? Dave’s are quite, um… wrecked.”

“Of course, love,” Kanaya smiles, and then she hurries away towards another of the makeshift shelters. With a little help from Roxy, Dave strips of his godtier pajamas, knowing they’ll eventually clean and fix themselves once their magic gets strong enough, and then changes into a loose shirt and a pair of shorts that Kanaya gives him. And then, after a bit more food and water, he’s helped into an empty tent, where he passes out on a pile on the floor and sleeps for a straight ten hours.

When he wakes up there’s a lot more noise around the camp, and he’s strong enough to haul himself up and out of the tent. Two people are sat, looking dazed, in the centre of camp.They don’t look quite so bad as Dave did the day before, but they still show the signs of a bad journey here. He recognises Jane, and Calliope, and sees that Roxy is tending to them carefully.

Rose smiles and waves as Dave steps out into the camp, finding that his legs seem to be cooperating for now. Then John suddenly tackles Dave in a tight hug.

“Jeez, dude,” Dave breathes,”Tryna choke me?”

“Oh, you sound like you again,” John breathes out a sigh of relief, “I was so scared.”

“Chill, man, I’m fine,” Dave says, patting John on the back, though he has to admit he’s a little choked up seeing John so worried about him. He stretches his arms up and above his head and lets out a long yawn before glancing over at the two new members of the party.

“When’d they arrive?” Dave asks, nodding towards Callie and Jane.

“An hour or so ago,” John says. He looks over at them, before adding, “Everyone else should be here within a few hours.”

“Even -”

“Even Karkat,” John replies before Dave can finish his question. Dave smiles, and nods faintly. “Come on,” John says, “You need food and water again.”

He lets himself be led over to where the others are all gathered, and accepts some food and drink from Rose. He ends up sat with Kanaya, a little way away from the rest of the group.

“You okay?” He asks as he notices how she’s twisting her hands in her skirt anxiously.

“I’m just anxious to see Karkat and Terezi again,” she admits, “It’s… certainly quite alarming to be on an alien planet.”

“Ah, shit, yeah, forgot about that, must be weird,” Dave says, “How you holding up?”

“I’m alright,” she says with a small nod, “It helps having Rose here.”

Dave smiles fondly. “Yeah,” he says, “You two are real good for each other, Kan. Thanks for making Rose so happy.”

“It’s my pleasure, Dave,” she says, “And I suppose I must thank you for doing the same for Karkat.” She smiles at him, before adding, “He needs someone like you, Dave. I’m glad you two found each other.”

He’s not quite sure what to say to that, never too good with discussing his emotions, and just nods a little awkwardly. Kanaya seems to understand this, and the two sit in a comfortable silence for a few more moments until Kanaya finally gets up to her feet.

“I must go see if my matesprit needs any help,” she says, “Keep sipping your water, Dave.” She grins a little cheekily at him with what looks like a wink, and then turns and practically skips away over to where Rose is waiting. Dave watches them embrace with a small smile, and then leans back into the grass, closing his eyes slowly and letting himself relax just for a little while.

An hour and ten minutes later (Dave’s internal clock seems to be working again now his energy’s restored), he’s lounging around in his tent when there’s a shout from outside, and he quickly rushes to peer out of the door. He’s barely got time to even hope that it’s who he thinks it approaching them before John’s calling for him. He rushes out of the tent, just in time to see four familiar people stagger towards them. And as much as he loves all of his friends, there’s only one person he cares about. And that person has just started to sprint directly at him with a scream of his name.

“Karkat!” Dave screams back, and races towards his boyfriend, arms outstretched. The two collide with more force than expected, and Karkat, the shorter of the two and definitely the weaker one right now, is sent reeling backwards into the grass, Dave crashing down on top of him.

“Holy fucking shit, you trying to kill me?” Karkat grumbles, wriggling out from under Dave and shoving him aside awkwardly.

“Nice to see you too, babe,” Dave laughs, sitting up just as Karkat does the same thing. He leans forwards, ending up with his forehead resting against Karkat’s, and laughs again, though his shoulders start to shake with the sobs he’s holding back.

“Oh,” Karkat says, a little startled, “Hey, don’t cry.” He curls one hand around the back of Dave’s neck to hold him gently, pressing their foreheads harder together and just holding and grounding him for a moment as Dave sniffles. Karkat’s own little hiccuping sobs join the noise soon, and then they’re both crying.

“Fuck, I thought you were gone,” Dave says, “I really really thought I was never gonna see you again.”

“Well here I am,” Karkat says as light-heartedly as he can currently manage, “And unfortunately you have to spend the rest of your life with me. If you want to, that is, “he adds awkwardly.

“Of course I want that,” Dave murmurs, reaching up to tangle a hand in Karkat’s uncontrollably messy hair and brushing a thumb against one of his horns. The action makes Karkat make one of those little chirpy alien noises that Dave loves so much, and he grins.

“I love you,” Dave whispers quietly, suddenly uncomfortably aware that there are others watching them.

“I love you too,” Karkat replies, before finally leaning forwards to close the distance between them and gently kiss Dave.

Dave pulls back after a few moments, and holds out a hand to help Karkat to his feet. “Come on, babe, you need food and stuff,” Dave says, pressing his free hand over his red face.

Karkat laughs faintly at him. “Yeah, you’re right, I’m fucking starving,” he agrees, “And I’d like to do something that isn’t walking for a long time, if that’s okay.”

“It sure is okay,” Dave grins, “We all need rest right now.”

He leads Karkat back to camp, where Terezi, Jake and Dirk are reuniting with the others, and he lets go of Karkat’s hand briefly to hug each of them in turn. Then Rose passes him a few bottles of water and some food and tells him to take Karkat to rest in the tent. So he does just that.

Later, as they’re laying in Dave’s tent, Karkat picking at food as Dave lays curled up behind him, running his fingers slowly through the troll’s hair and humming quietly to him, Karkat turns to look up at him.

“I think Dirk and Jake made up whilst we were stumbling our way here,” he says.

“Oh yeah?” Dave asks curiously, absent-mindedly rubbing his thumb in circles over the base of Karkat’s horn.

The troll suppresses a purr and props himself up on one elbow lazily. “Yeah. I reckon they’ll get back together.”

“Huh,” Dave says, “That’s good. They deserve it.”

“Mmh,” Karkat hums in agreement, before dropping his head back onto the pillow he’s been lazing against for the last hour.

“I’m so glad that game’s over,” Dave says eventually, finally bringing up the one topic they’ve been avoiding.

Karkat rolls over to face him, kicking his toes against Dave’s shins gently. “Yeah,” Karkat says softly, “There were some times I really didn’t think we were gonna survive. And all I ever wanted was this… to just get to be with you and not be fighting for our lies and just… to have something normal for once. You know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Dave nods, and drapes one arm over Karkat’s body before pulling him closer to him. “But we’re here now, and it’s over, and we’re never going back.”

“Yeah,” Karkat agrees tiredly. He leans in gently to press a chaste kiss to Dave’s lips, and then falls back with a tired sigh. “So, what now?” He asks after a while.

“We build a new world, where everyone can live safely,” Dave says, “And then we live together forever.”

“Sounds good to me,” Karkat says, “As long as I get to be with you, I think our future’s looking bright.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have this headcanon that when they reach Earth C it's a very basic planet that they have to build into a habitable place, and it's sort of nightmarish and difficult to live there until they all get together to use their aspects and make it a proper place to live. Also that the force of the gate throwing them out at the end of the game would just sort of scatter them over Earth C because the game really doesn't care what happens to the players after they win. 
> 
> Anyway, yeah, here's this, I hope you like it. There's a couple of Christmas fics coming later this month for any of you who are interested in that.


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